3 shocking revelations by John Harbaugh on Saturday that will shape Ravens' roster

Whether he did it on purpose or not, Baltimore Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh brought all of the spicy fire to the microphones after the final day of training camp on Saturday making some revealing remarks in front of the media.

While technically the final practice of the 2023 training camp, the Flock mob will still have to run some drills for a couple of weeks following their matchup against the Washington Commanders on Monday and ahead of their final preseason game next Saturday at Tampa Bay.

The NFL set the deadline for roster cuts on Aug. 29, which is just nine days away and at which point the Ravens and all other franchises will need to submit the final 53-man roster that will make it to regular-season Week 1 in September.

John Harbaugh spoke to the media following Day 20 of training camp and, truth be told, he didn't leave too much for imagination nor read between the lines when it comes to some of the most pressing questions revolving around the final 53-man roster.

1. Tyler Huntley seems to be locked into the QB2 role no matter the preseason results

One of the roster positions up for grabs entering training camp was reserve quarterback. After one preseason game last weekend and Saturday's practice, we already know who will be Lamar Jackson's backup next season.

"Tyler's going to be fine," Harbaugh said (per Clifton Brown of BaltimoreRavens.com) when discussing Tyler Huntley's injury. "[In the] regular season, he should be more than fine by then. I'm not too worried about it."

With Tyler Huntley ruled out for Monday's game, it will be veteran Josh Johnson and sophomore Anthony Brown each playing a half against the Commanders for Week 2 of the preseason schedule.

Lamar won't grace the field, and Huntley will be forced to sit this one out. And although none of these two quarterbacks will be available next Monday, they will be the two QBs on Baltimore's 53-man roster when the regular season kicks off in Sep. 10.

Harbaugh said, "It would've been great if Tyler hadn't had [the injury] happen and could've played in this game, I would have loved that." Adding that he expects Huntley to be ready and fully fit when the regular season gets rolling pretty much sealed the deal for the QB2 spot.

The only question left unanswered is what will happen to Johnson and Brown once the final cuts are done. They could be released and sign with another franchise, or they could return to become part of the practice squad.

In any case, it's hard to envision the Ravens naming three quarterbacks in their final 53-man roster with many more pressing needs at other positions.

2. The cornerback and the safety room are nearly finalized

Harbaugh wasn't as crystal-clear when discussing secondary as he was when he made clear that Tyler Huntley is the go-to QB2 of the franchise, but his comments shed enough light to pencil in the final cornerback and safety rooms ahead of the 53-man roster announcement.

Starting with the players locked into the final roster, those would be CBs Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin, Ronald Darby, and Brandon Stephens, and S Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Geno Stone, and Daryl Worley.

Harbaugh mentioned Brandon Stephens in his post-practice presser, and he also spoke highly and most interestingly about sophomore corner Jalyn Armour-Davis.

"[JAD] is anxious, he wants to get back out there," Harbaugh said after his player left the practice field earlier than expected on Saturday. "He might play Monday. If he doesn't, he should be fine next week. Very hopeful for him to get out there and play."

The sophomore left practice and didn't return, but coach Harbs is confident he could play as early as Monday, and later if not then. Pencil him in as a final-roster piece.

After the addition of Ronald Darby and with Brandon Stephens poised to adapt to the team's needs whether that means playing cornerback or safety, the secondary is basically set.

Nickel corner and pre-training-camp signing Arthur Maulet is another lock if only because the team needs someone to man the slot, and that's already nine players in the secondary.

Last season, the Ravens boasted 10 defensive backs, so the only spot left to fill that quota would come down to one of Kyu Kelly, Kevon Seymour, or Ar'Darius Washington. Don't expect more signings here as this is pretty much a fulfilled unit.

3. No more players should be added to the linebacker room via free agency

Similarly to what Harbaugh let us know about the Ravens' secondary, he spoke a bit about the addition of Jadeveon Clowney and what he expects from him and the rest of the pass-rushing unit.

Judging by the coach's comments, this seems to be another unit pretty much finalized after the addition of former 2014 no. 1 pick JDV.

"[Clowney] was quick, he looks like he's in shape," Harbaugh told reporters (h/t Rocco DiSangro of Fox Baltimore). "I thought he'll fit right in. He's learning the defense, but how much defense is there? It’s fronts and a little bit of coverage, and he has to learn the blitz patterns."

Harbaugh also said that Clowney will need to learn a bit more than that as the Ravens "drop into coverage a lot," but he acknowledged that the veteran "has played a lot of football," and he's a "very smart player," so he shouldn't have much trouble getting up and running.

We all have known for a long time that the Ravens needed to bolster their pass-rushing ranks ahead of 2023 after losing Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Justin Houston this offseason. Enter Clowney.

Other than the former Browns EDGE, though, no more splashing additions or changes are expected in the outside-linebacker unit. Harbaugh said it in his press conference.

"We want enough guys,” Harbaugh said. “You want to have enough guys. There are a lot of snaps. You’re getting about 1,200 snaps in the season. You need all of those guys," the coach said when asked if Clowney will take snaps off David Ojabo's plate.

The truth is he will if only because of a rotational thing. With that already being the case, don't expect any news on this front when it comes to new signings.

Harbaugh said, "[Ojabo] can go inside, Odafe can go inside, Madubuike is rushing the passer really well."

As the roster stands, Harbs thinks "We've got some real options there," and he said he feels "really good about our pass rush."

There is full trust in the young piece of the line including Oweh and Ojabo, so the addition of Clowney and the presence of veteran Tyus Bowser as well as other ancillary pieces in the squad (De'Shawn Phillips, Malik Hamm, Tavius Robinson) looks like would do for the 2023 EDGE Ravens lineup.

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